Compunction - Russian River Brewing Company

juhl31

California

4.6/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

-foggy, yet clear gold color. pours with a fluffy white head

-the sour lemon jumps out first, then the pluot rolls in. some banana and a bit of malt which is nice

-good tartness up front, then the fruits roll in - pluots, lemon in the back, the farmhouse taste finishes the in the aftertaste. some actual bitterness to it which is nice as well

-very dry with some tannin mouth as well

-wow this stuff is good. amazingly drinkable. i also like that it still has a lot of actual "beerness" to it. you still get maltiness and bitterness to it behind the wild ale forefront. have been back on a couple more occasions and couldnt pass this one up

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2010 05:21:14 | More by juhl31

scottfrie

California

4.6/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Consumed at the brewery. Reviewed from notes.

A: Served a slightly hazy citrus-amber with a thin white collar of a head.
S: Sweet tart fruits, cranberries, currents and prunes. This has a fruit juice sweetness to it along with some vinous white grapes and a touch of citrus. Very delicious smelling.
T: Follows the nose with flavors of cranberries, plums, citrus and other fruits. The finish is full of sweet apricots and sweaty sock funk. The aftertaste has some citrus sourness to it and just a touch of lemon. As it warms more of the cheesey sock funk comes through.
M: Exceptionally clean mouthfeel, very refreshing with a manageable amount of sourness.
D: This one probably falls just after Temptation in the RRiver sourness scale. I really really hope they bottle it because I think this would do wonders with a little bit of age on it. One of the more uniquely flavored sours I've had. Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2011 22:14:21 | More by scottfrie

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So excited to try this. Shared at Starr's bday tasting.

A huge thanks to my buddy for the hookup on the sly. What an incredible gesture.

The beer is golden orange and mildly hazy with a soft head of broken bubbles. The aroma is fantastic, offering apricots, stone fruits, wild yeast. Smells like a fantastic Russian River beer. The flavor is distinctly Russian River. Well balanced and fantastic, with apricots and plums. Sour and tart, and very easy to drink. A very anticipated beer that definitely delivered.

Serving type: growler

08-26-2012 00:08:35 | More by Huhzubendah

flexabull

California

4.55/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I feel lucky that I got to try this last night.

Beer pours a crisp gold color with a faint head.

Aromas are dusty, tart, and with a fair sour fruitiness.

Reminds me of a lighter Supplication. It has a more dry flavor then Supplication. But it still has a very sour fruity character. It's certainly dry, as mentioned before. .. and it finishes with a tart, dusty, and with a puckering quality. Another complex and well put together Russian River Wild Ale.

Mouthfeel is top notch. Every time I try a Russian River beer, I am always reminded at how full and thick they feel in your mouth. Excellent!

Drinkability is WAY up there. This one easily competes with Temptation and Supplication. Great stuff!

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2007 04:21:04 | More by flexabull

DeanMoriarty

California

4.55/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on draft last week at Russian River Brewing Co. listed on their board as "Blonde Ale with Pluots (Apricot/Plum hybrid) aged in Chardonnay barrels . 5.80% ABV / 1.048 O.G / 25 BUs" for $4 -poured into a tulip glass.

A: Pours a slightly hazy blonde/apricot hue with a decent head that dissipates quickly leaving a ton of lacing in its tracks.

S: Smells like the forest - piney woody and earthy (from the chard barrels no doubt), some funk and fermented fruit.

T: Wow - this one's unique! Fresh cut lumber - sweet resinous earthy pine up front big time (from the barrels, not from the hop), some sour funk that mixes very well with the woody aspects, there's some peppery citrus in the mix as well, and right when you think the pluots were a waste of time, they come through strong at the end and linger in the aftertaste. Tastes like Nor-Cal for sure!

M: Light/medium-bodied, crisp, well carbonated lending the the dryness, extremely refreshing leaving a lingering lactic bitterness that is nice.

D: Extremely easy to drink. If you don't like the flavor of wood in your ale, you won't be diggin this one and may get sick of the dry oaky presence like my buddy did with his. I absolutely love it though and could session these no problem.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2010 18:48:35 | More by DeanMoriarty

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at Monk's Cafe in Philly, what a place.

In the Tulip Compunction looks like a mix of bronze and a lighter blue shaded color. It's very dark in Monk's so that could be way off. a nice set of white bubbles that kinda die off. Smell is very fruity and somewhat acidic. Rockpile yeast and pluots, whatever those are. I do get alot of berry and some underlining malt with the warmth. This reminds me of supplication alot, only different fruit. the oak is big and the smell is lovely. Taste is really really good, I love it, just what Im looking for. berries mixed with pulots, apple skin, and a sourness that's is somewhat stingy and soothing if ya dig. A lot of oak and if i were to guess, pinot flavors from the barrel. Very similar to supplication again. the feel is at about medium and the carbonation is stiff yet not scorching. Very well rounded body You get a bit of everything towards the end. i had two glasses and could of easily drank more of it. Depending on the price of pulots, Vinnie should consider bottling this even if it is a small batch, I could see this doing something nice in a bottle. If you ever see this on tap, do yourself a favor.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 23:19:54 | More by onix1agr

DJButters

California

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The pour significantly darker than its Sanctification counterpart. I had a pour of Sanctification prior to this pour of Compunction.

S: The nose starts off with lots of tannins from the oak and pluots. Significant amounts of sour fruit smell gets the salvation glands kicked in to high gear for what is coming.

T: Smooth for a sour beer - perhaps a bit too smooth. Lots of dry oak notes along with pluot/sour fruit notes. A mild acidity and less bitterness than San.

M: The body is medium with a moderate to high carbonation and a very crisp finish. Think green apple bite.

D: I will be back for more as I was very impressed. Watching the Chargers/Raiders game at the brewery left a sour taste in my mouth... but I think this beer was sourer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 00:19:53 | More by DJButters

Lothore

California

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a deep golden color with a thin, off white head that fades quickly.

S- Very tart, ripe fruit, cranberry, lemon

T- Apricot and lemon up front leading to a fairly deep tartness.

M- Medium bodied with lots of carbonation.

D- This is an excellent sour and i'm glad I had the chance to try it. I would definitely order it again if I saw it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2011 05:18:38 | More by Lothore

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Geist for bringing this forbidden growler the tasting.

Beer pours a hazy golden orange with a thin white head. Smell is incredible - it's one of those sour/vinous beers that really gets my mouth watering. Flavor is fantastic as well. I don't get a ton of fruit, but the wine characteristics are excellent and it's very sour and awesome. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and quite nice. Overall, this is yet another awesome wine barrel aged sour from Russian River. These guys consistently roll out the best sours in the U.S. and this is another one in that vein.

Serving type: growler

08-26-2012 02:35:23 | More by starrdogg

clickpush

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pour: Draught to tulip glass at the brewery. A lightly clouded pale golden ale arrives with about a half inch of white head that melts into a medium lace cap. Plenty of bubbles punctuate the body of the beer.

Nose: Rather light in the aroma, but very obviously an RR wild ale. Full of brett, must and farminess with a touch of tart fruit presence. Very dusty.

Mouth: Much like it smells - unbelievably sour, in the best way possible. Horse blanket, sour brambles, brett, puckering like you can't believe. The chalkboard says this one is aged for 1.5 years with plumcots (which in my experience are really called pluots) - a hybrid of a plum and apricot. Mouthfeel is full bodied and quite effervescent. This one takes a second for the mouth to recover from the sourness, but it goes great with the meat calzone (#2) and balances out the extra pepper flakes that I generously applied.

Why doesn't RR bottle everything?!

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2007 23:25:55 | More by clickpush

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Before I get to my review, this beer was the first Russian River beer as well as the first American Wild Ale I'd ever had. That was at Dark Lord Day 2008, where my reaction was "Man, that's sour" and I went back to drinking more imperial stout. Since then, I've had a fair number of RR beers and AWAs, and I'm curious to see what I think. Thanks, C-dogg.

Pouring a brilliantly clear light amber with a dense, frothy, off-white head, this beer looks pretty excellent. Some lacing is present as well.

The nose is absolutely fantastic. Clearly, Relative Brewing needs to work on how they fill growlers, 'cos this smells rather incredible. The RR pale sour base is immediately noticeable, with a moderate Temptation-like character with grass, hay and a moderate lactic character. There isn't much barrel character, at least not a wine barrel character. And then there's the fruit. Beautifully expressed, in some ways this reminds me of fresh Fou'foune. Having had a chance to travel through CA farm country earlier this Fall and sample 4-5 different varieties of pluots, this beer brings back memories. Fruity light plums, apricots, a mild floral character, this is pretty close to perfect. A touch of acetone (just a hair) rounds out the nose, and this is one of the few beers where I like it. Brett and funk character are mostly hay-like and part of me wonders if the mild floral character is a blend of both a tropical Brett character and the pluot.

The palate opens rather bracingly sour, surprisingly so, and more than I was expecting. Very clean with a blend of lemon and lactic acids, there's a moderate Bretty leather, dry and mildly musty. This leather character is rather surprising, given the rather pale base beer, but that's Brett for you. A touch of fruity pineapple is also present, along with a nice light-plum fruitiness in the mid-palate. Light in body with moderate carbonation, this beer finishes dry and a sour with a moderate acidic character. Acetone and acetic acids are really low here, and that's not surprising given Vinnie's history brewing sours. The fruit character isn't as strong as I was hoping, but it was still rather excellent, reminding me of a Fou'foune at 2-3 years. Again, that moderate leather character lingers on the finish, working quite well with the fruitiness, a combination that is unique. Some tannins are present too. Just a little slick on the finish as well. While the acidity is high, I can see myself going through a quart of this. Excellent stuff.

Ultimately, I ask myself - how does this compare to the other RR sours? I'd say that while it isn't as good as the better batches of Beatification, Temptation, Supplication or Consecration, it is still fantastic right out of the gate. In that regard, it beats out Temptation, which needs a few months to come into its own. I hope to god Vinnie bottles this, as it is something I'd love to try again.

Serving type: growler

12-08-2010 03:56:03 | More by DefenCorps

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drove up seven hours to Sacramento to stay at Abel's (abecall98) in Sacramento this past Friday, then drove another two hours Saturday morning to go to Santa Rosa. I have heard about this beer for quite some time and am extremely pumped I was able to try it on tap.

Appearance - Poured into a standard tulip at the RR brew pub. Pours a wonderful golden hay color with less than a finger of head that dissipates relatively fast leaving slight lacing.

Smell - Woah! Tart! The smell of this immediately makes me realize this sour is different from the others Vinnie has made. Great barnyard funk, must, wet hay, and great tart fruits. This beer is making my mouth water way more than other RR sours!

Taste - "Drool"...wow. My mouth puckers up immediately with the initial sip. A very complex sour/wild ale. The barnyard funk hits the palate first which is followed almost immediately by the citrus fruits such as peaches, berries, and green apple. A bit more acidic than other RR sours out there but I really enjoy it. Finishes a hint dry. Wow.

Mouthfeel - lighter bodied, prickly carbonation, refreshing.

Drinkability - This one actually took me a while to drink, but that does not downplay it's drinkability. An amazing beer. Very glad I was able to try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 04:00:54 | More by SpdKilz

wethorseblanket

California

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ Beachwood Sour Fest on days 1 & 2.

A: Pours a nearly clear pale yellow with a very fine white head and beautiful puzzle-like lace.

N: Fruity, oak, grass, and mild funk.

T: Stone fruits (yes, pluots) up front, oak tannins, floral notes. Complex tartness.

M: Prickly fine carbonation, dry finish.

O: Been wanting this and so glad to finally have tried it. Very good - wow. Thanks Gabe (and Vinnie).

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2011 00:04:32 | More by wethorseblanket

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at monks in philly after the rr dinner.

A- a small cap of off white head that settles rather quickly and leaves no lace. Deep pink red brown in color with some haze to it.

S- nice sharp sour hit and a good funky woody punch. Fruity and tart with some berries and grape notes.

T- opens up with a solid fruity sour and wet funky oak. surprisingly fruity with some berries and grape must. The oak keeps developing as it warms and really shows its depth.

M- a bit less then medium in body. Not heavy but brightly carbed with small bubbles. Awesome tannic semi dry quality.

O- another great sour from the man that can't brew a bad beer. For a non fruited wild ale the fruity character of the beer is impressive. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy this with by good bud onix1agr, rip little black.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 18:47:31 | More by oglmcdgl

pmarlowe

California

4.45/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at O'Brien's RR TION Weekend. Chalice.

A: Golden, clear, some off white head. Not much retention or lacing except for a few dots.

S: Funk, malt, stone fruit, cantaloupe (?). Really inviting.

T: Apricot and other fruit. Nice puckering tartness. Juicy, like biting into a ... pluot? Some sweetness really pulls this

together. Some oak in the secondary. A long tart finish.

M: Medium body and lively medium-high carbonation.

O: Delicious and well executed. Highly drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2012 18:20:03 | More by pmarlowe

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Been a while since I've had a new sour beer from Russian River. I, of course, have no objections.

Lactic tones are most prevalent on this one. Woody funky tones are in there also with a mildly fruity edge. There is a vibrancy that is nice also.

Gotta love the RR sours. This is in line with all the great ones. Makes your mouth pucker with a bit of dryness that might detract for some.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 05:50:18 | More by RblWthACoz

nataku00

California

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap poured into a goblet. Beer is a light yellow, straw collored and mostly clear with a thin off white soapy head off tap. No carbonation visible through the glass.

Nose is wet hay, sour lemon, astringency from what I believe are the pluot (or plucots) skins. Nice pungent aroma for not too much head.

Taking a sip, the sour lemon and astringency is upfront, mellowing a bit into stone fruit sweetness on the finish. Medium length finish from the sweetness and a bit of tartness and fruit peel. Funky earthiness develops as the beer warms closer to room temperature as well,

Light bodied with a decent amount of carbonation but I would have preferred a bit more bubbly on the tongue. Very easy to drink, and I think this would be great to sit outside with this on a warm day like today.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2011 00:45:15 | More by nataku00

benclimbs

California

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap @ RR brewery
pours light yellow, golden clear with a slight head and a bit of lacing

taste is really nice, wonderfully balacned blonde sour with some dry niceness and some incredible, unique earthy, woody, delicious notes throughout

feel is very good, dry not slick - pleasant

drinkability is fantastic, what a beautiful, refreshing blonde sour. mmm

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 18:35:37 | More by benclimbs

phichifiji00

California

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a taster glass at Beachwood BBQ's Sourfest.

Appearance: Dark Coppery color, clear, decent white head, good lacing.

Smell: Funky, sour, oak, plums, store fruit.

Taste: Sour, funky, stone fruit, oak, berries, red wine, very complex.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, good carbonation.

Overall: A great beer, as are all of Russian River's -tion beers.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2011 02:09:01 | More by phichifiji00

nickd717

California

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to alfrantzell for hooking up a "special growler" of this new tick.

Mostly clear deep amber in color with a lasting bubbly white head. Really looks excellent for the style.

Nice plum aroma along with a very Russian River like yeast aroma. Funky and musty with Brett and lacto evident.

The flavor is excellent, like most other Russian River sours. Big plum and pluot flavors, slight sweet malt notes (although the sweetness is minimal). Excellent tart and funky finish.

Really nice acidic tingling on the palate with a good level of carbonation. Medium bodied and very dry.

Overall, another really awesome sour from Russian River. Never surprising but always enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

12-02-2010 18:50:41 | More by nickd717

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a every so lightly hazed and lightly darkened gold color, nice cap of white froth, leaving decent lacing. Scent is mild and at first lightly tart and sour, supported by a nice amount of fruit and freshly malted grain. Taste brings more sour and tart then nose lead me to believe was in here, strong notes of fruit (mango, light berry) and a solid amount of fresh malted grain. Medium bodied, carbonation not over the top, lightly dry. A very nice wild ale from RR, ranks up there with the bottled varities and has a bigger malt profile and a touch more fruit.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 17:31:50 | More by rfgetz

UCLABrewN84

California

4.39/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at O'Brien's Pub in San Diego, CA.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with some fruity and acidic aromas. Taste is much the same with a fruity and wood flavor on the finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is very tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2013 20:53:46 | More by UCLABrewN84

kajerm

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub. Pours surprisingly light-- straw-colored with two fingers of fine, dense white foam. Carbonation rushes up the center of the glass in a continuous column of tiny bubbles, champagne style. Lots of lace. Holy shit, it even LOOKS sour.

The aroma is pure acid, lots of vinegar and a little lactic acid character. In the background is Brett funk, definitely musty and cidery, although I'm not getting "horse blankets" in this beer (if I ever actually smelled horse blankets in any beer.)

The flavor opens up fruity, with loads of stone fruits-- peaches and apricots, definitely. I didn't know what the fuck a pluot was at the time (it's half plum and half apricot, according to Wikipedia) but apparently this is what it tastes like. Mid-palate, finish, and the next three days are all dominated by sourness. I can honestly say that this is the sourest beer I've ever tasted in my life, and that I honestly mean this in a good way.

Mouthfeel is ruled by sourness, with only a little room for the bright carbonation.

I think the extreme sourness of this beer might cut into the drinkability a little bit (which means a lot coming from a guy who thinks that Girardin Gueuze is a session beer), but it kicks so much ass I'd keep drinking it until it corroded away my last tooth and burnt a hole in my throat.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2008 06:21:13 | More by kajerm

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub today...

The beer pours a fairly light gold color with great head retention and considerable lacing. The nose is just wild and shows considerable brett influence, with sour funk, vinegar and barnyard aromas, but with considerable underlying plum and cherry as well. The flavor profile generally replicates the nose in this complex, wild ale, and I have to say the interplay of flavors in this beer is just amazing. Along with the noted aroma profile, there's also something of a fresca/sprite flavor, with a hint of hoppy bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to light, and despite all the flavor and impressively long finish, you can tell the alcohol is fairly low in this one. Also, I'm just loving the sweet tart on tart finish in this well crafted beer. Anyway, drinkability is otherwise pretty good, with the alcohol barely more than an afterthought. The sour funk is a bit much for someone like me, but even a confirmed sour hater like myself can tell this is one very fine, well made, easy to appreciate beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2011 04:39:56 | More by johnmichaelsen

Jmoore50

Nevada

4.35/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

So I was lucky enough to go to Russian River twice during the two weeks they had Pliny the Younger on draft. I only had two glasses of Younger the total of both trips. This was one of the beers I kept going back to because its delicious.

This looks fairly golden with a light hue of pink or peach. It wasn't poured with a strong head and doesn't have the a lacing or leg. Its just a pretty good looking beverage, and the appearance on this won't stand out in my mind.

It is served too cold, thus muting any sort of smell. Once it warms up it reminds me a bit of Temptation. It has that great 'Russian River sour' smell to it that is crisp and sharp. A light fruit smell is detected reminding me of peach.

This is a delicious sour. It has a great sourness to it that again reminds me of Temptation, one of my favorite beers of all time. The fruit in this is sits back seat to the sourness, which is nice because the lemon and tart grapefruit that is produced by the bacteria pairs well with the pluots.

This beer gets you salivating, which is almost dangerous. Its one of those sour beers that is just sour enough that you keep revisiting it over and over to almost torture yourself. Great sourness and fruitiness with perfect carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 02:48:00 | More by Jmoore50